INDIANAPOLIS -- At the end of last season, Michael Bennett said he “probably won’t be back” with the Seahawks in 2018.

Thursday brought more evidence that Bennett might be right.

In his first public comments in two months, on Thursday at the NFL scouting combine, coach Pete Carroll didn’t exactly squash the possibility that Bennett has played his last game for Seattle.

“I haven’t talked to Mike in a while now,” Carroll said from the NFL scouting combine inside the Indiana Convention Center, “but it’s the time of year, conversations going in all directions.”

That was a few minutes after Carroll was asked if, given the overhaul of the coaching staff and possibly the roster, this may be a “franchise-altering” offseason for Seattle.

“I am looking at it in that regard,” Carroll said.

Later Thursday, ESPN reported that the Seahawks are shopping Bennett, a 32-year-old three-time Pro Bowl defensive end, for a possible trade out of Seattle.

The team is without second- and third-round picks in April’s draft, the result of acquiring defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson and left tackle Duane Brown last season. Recouping those picks in a trade is high on general manager John Schneider’s wish list in the next two months. Could trading Bennett be one ways of doing so?

Bennett played last season through multiple injuries, but still racked up 8½ sacks. He has 23½ sacks combined in the last three seasons.

He also has three years remaining on his contract. Trading or cutting him this offseason would save the Seahawks just $2.2 million against the 2018 salary cap; his base salary for this year is a mere $1.65 million.

But his salary balloons to $6 million and Seattle’s potential cap savings by trading or releasing him goes up to $5,275,000 in 2019.

Yet fellow Pro Bowl defensive end Cliff Avril's career is in doubt following a neck injury. And Carroll loves stockpiling pass rushers.

Dion Jordan is a restricted free agent waiting on a Seahawks decision. Carroll said Thursday he had “nothing new” on 2017 top draft choice Malik McDowell, who may never play because of head injuries and more from a still-unspecified ATV accident last season. Frank Clark is the only other pass rusher on the roster, and Clark’s contract ends after this year.

Releasing Bennett would follow a philosophy the New England Patriots have championed: Shed an expensive star player one year too early instead of one year too late.

Carroll didn’t say the Seahawks were subscribing to that philosophy, but he did say this has the potential to be an offseason like no other in his eight years coaching the Seahawks.

“I think the opportunity for it to be an altering moment for us is there,” Carroll said. “But every offseason we approach it the same way: to compete as hard as we can to figure out the best ways to put our guys in the right positions, to do the right things, to make the right choices, to stay abreast at what's going on in the league.

“And sometimes you've got to make some tough calls to get that done and put it in the right order. I really feel confident that we've done that. But there is a lot of work here, a lot of stuff to get better on before we figure all that out.”

Graham’s contract expired after his 10-touchdown season in 2017, and he can become a free agent March 14.

“We love Jimmy. We love what he did" (in three seasons with Seattle after a trade from New Orleans," Carroll said. "He had a very effective year for us last year. We’d love to have him back. We’ll see how it goes and see how the competition is for him.”

Graham is seeking one more mega contract after signing a four-year, $40 million extension with the Saints in 2014. The team certainly lacks the re-sources to re-sign Graham at anything remotely near that average.

And don’t forget Carroll’s vow to return the offense to the run this year. Graham never will be a run-blocking tight ends. Run-blocking tight ends don’t get four years at $40 million.

Still, Carroll said when asked Thursday if keeping Graham was a priority: “Yeah, keeping all of our guys are priorities. Nothing different. We have a number of guys out there that are really important to us, but it’s all going to be up to the process of it and how Johnny can wing and see what’s going on.

“Other teams will factor into as well in how they go at our guys, so we just have to wait and see what happens.”